President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the BRICS Outreach Session in the South African city of Johannesburg.

Noting that his participation in the BRICS Summit as the President of Turkiye constitutes the first high-level contact between Turkiye and the BRICS, President Erdoğan stated that he sees the summit as an opportunity for the deepening of cooperation between Turkiye and the BRICS and that Turkiye desires to cooperate with BRICS-member countries in the fields of economy, trade, investments, and development.

Expressing his thought that cooperation can be forged between the BRICS New Development and Business Council and the relevant institutions in Turkiye, President Erdoğan highlighted Turkiye's hope that the ongoing membership talks between Turkiye's Ministry of Treasury and Finance and the BRICS New Development Bank will be finalized in a short span of time. "We can also collaborate regarding the works, conducted under the roof of the BRICS and in Turkiye separately, for the establishment of a new international credit rating agency which is juster and more impartial. We want to further our cooperation with BRICS-member countries in the field of energy, as well," President Erdoğan said.   

Highlighting that he has been invited to the BRICS Outreach Session in his capacity as the OIC Summit Chair and that he represents not only Turkiye but also all the OIC-member Islamic countries at the BRICS Summit, President Erdoğan said: "There is a great need for the strengthening of OIC-BRICS cooperation. We can benefit from the South-South cooperation processes within this framework for a more just world. The opportunities for cooperation between the Islamic Development Bank and the BRICS New Development Bank, especially those aimed at contributing to Africa's development efforts, should be seized."

Drawing attention to the turbulent period the world is going through, President Erdoğan underlined that wars, terror attacks, economic crises and natural disasters have recently inflicted deep wounds on the humanity and said: "Current global system satisfies no one other than a minority whose interests have been guaranteed."

Recalling the almost decennial recurrence of economic crises up until today, President Erdoğan stated: "It is impossible for the current structure to continue without being overhauled and amended in line with today's conditions. It is a must that the increasing weight of the emerging economies is reflected in the system."

President Erdoğan continued: "We closely follow the role the BRICS seeks to assume in the South-South Cooperation. Turkiye is among the leading countries of the world in terms of development aids, one of the most important elements of the South-South Cooperation. Last year, we were one of the top countries in this area with the $8.2 billion official development aid we provided. And we are by far the leader in terms of humanitarian aid. We are today hosting over 4 million refugees, 3.5 million of whom are from Syria and Iraq. Turkiye has spent $32 billion for refugees at a time when many developed Western countries condemn refugees to barbed wires. What is more, our country put the issue of development at the top of the G20 agenda during its G20 term presidency in 2015. We inaugurated the Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries on June 4. It is extremely important that Africa has been determined as the main theme of the 10^th BRICS Summit."

Turkiye's direct investments in Africa amount to more than $6 billion, President Erdoğan underscored, describing the works Turkiye has been carrying out in Somalia since 2011 as an important example that manifests Turkiye approach to the African continent.

Expressing his pleasure to come together with the leaders of BRICS-member countries on the occasion of the summit, President Erdoğan thanked the Republic of South Africa at the end of his speech. (ILKHA)